How to DO

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

Leonardo da Vinci

“Just do it” is a pithy phrase that cuts through the heart of fear and asks us to act on our ideas and dreams… But often, no matter how many times we tell ourselves (or someone tells us) to just do it — we don’t. We want to, but we don’t. I could tell a family member (or myself) to just do it and eat healthier and exercise, but that’s not gonna cut it. As catchy and tagline worth as it is, it leaves room for uncertainty, ambiguity and fear. How do we do it? Where do we start? How do we not fail? How do we do it and win?

“Just do it” is a spiritual mantra of Athletes everywhere in the world. But do you think they make it to the Olympics or to the finals by winging it? No, they have honed their minds and bodies to do perform on instinct.

Before we can do, we need to make it clear as crystal what we are specifically going to do, why and how.

Clarity of thought creates clarity of action.

For example: “I want to get up early” is not going to work. How early? Why do you want to get up early, specifically? What’s the driving motivation behind the desire?

When it comes to getting up early, if you are focusing just on the morning, you’ve already lost. The question isn’t ‘What time will I get up?’ The question is ‘what time do I go to bed?’. We need to start where all the trouble begins — going to bed early. Going to bed at 2 AM and trying to wake up at 5 AM is not a sustainable and realistic goal. Sure, you could do it for a while. But there’s no wiggle room.Why do you want to get up early? So you can have some alone time for yourself. So you can read more and work on developing your writing skills. So you can work on your side business. Whatever your drive is, make it specific. It needs to be a big enough reason for you to get up out of a warm cushy marshmellow-of-a-bed every morning.

Here’s another example: “I want to be healthy.” Too vague. Too open to interpretation and bending the rules. What does healthy mean to you? Does it mean having a huge amount of energy each day? Does it mean being able to run the city and not get winded? Why do you want to get healthy? So you live longer and brighter and decrease your chances of Alzheimer’s or Cancer? What does health look like, specifically? Eating mostly plants? Nothing out of a box? Cooking at home instead of only eating out? Whatever it is, make it clear.

Once you have a firm grasp on what exactly you are wanting to cultivate in your life, then you are ready for taking a chance and just do it.